Council sets EU positions for COP31 in Antalya and COP17 in Yerevan

The Council of the European Union approved two sets of conclusions on 12 October setting out the EU's negotiating positions for the UN climate summit, COP31, in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November, and the UN biodiversity summit, COP17, in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19 to 30 October, according to its press release.

COP31 in Antalya

Ministers acknowledged that the Paris Agreement's 1.5 degree goal is likely to be exceeded and called for urgent action to return to that trajectory. The conclusions describe the "overshoot, peak and decline pathway" as the best remaining option, in paragraph 3 of the text. The release says COP31 "must mark a step-change in the delivery of the Paris Agreement".

The conclusions urge parties that have not yet done so to submit their nationally determined contributions before COP31 (paragraph 18). They recognise transitioning away from fossil fuels "in a just, orderly and equitable manner" (paragraph 8) and say COP31 should set the direction for the second global stocktake (paragraph 6), per the document. On finance, paragraph 28 reconfirms the call to triple adaptation finance by 2035, and paragraph 31 recognises carbon pricing, emissions trading and carbon markets as potential sources of innovative finance. Paragraph 27 recalls separate Council conclusions on international climate finance of 9 October, which the release says complement the COP31 position.

The conclusions do not address the arrangement for the COP31 presidency, and the release gives no climate finance figures. The European Council, in paragraph 76 of its conclusions of 15 and 16 October, refers to COP31 in Antalya and to the participation of all member states.

COP17 in Yerevan

For the biodiversity summit, the EU will push for accelerated action on the global biodiversity framework agreed at COP15 in 2022, which includes a pledge to protect at least 30 per cent of land and sea areas by 2030, the release says. It will call for biodiversity to be mainstreamed across policies and sectors, and for more public and private funding, including approaches such as high-integrity nature credits. The release gives no funding amounts.

Christopher O'Sullivan, Ireland's Minister of State, said in opening statements: "There can be no lowering of the ambition that was agreed under the global biodiversity framework."

• COP17 in Yerevan opens on 19 October and runs to 30 October, per the Council.
• COP31 in Antalya opens on 9 November, with the EU position set in the approved conclusions.